Theldithen
by Altaria Artanis
Summary: Theldithen: Sindarin for little sister. A war wages in the Mirkwood early in the third age.Legolas goes to fight with the army, and, against everyone's wishes, Adlanniel, his sister, follows him. But everything goes wrong for her. Will they get to her in
1. War Room

Hello Everyone! God, I haven't written or updated anything for a long time. This story is my new pet project. Lots of chapters written already! I do like the story (probably a good thing), but I am afraid it's a bit Mary-Sueish. Oh well. We'll see. It gets less Mary-Sueish as time goes on.

Disclaimer: Adlanniel is mine, adn I wish Legolas was, but sadly, he belongs to Tolkien's estate. (I don't think they appreciate him enough there.)

On with the story!

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"You beat me! I've been practicing for two hundred years, and you still beat me." 

"Ah but sister, I have been practicing for _four_ hundred years. You'll never catch up."

"Legolas, you are far too arrogant."

"But I am good enough to be arrogant, am I not?" Legolas ducked his sister's playful punch, a wide grin on his face.

"But I can beat you at knives, so don't get to big for your boots." Adlanniel drew her dual knives in one fluid movement and brandished one at Legolas. "A bow is not so much better that you can gloat."

"Adlanniel! Are you slandering the bow?" Legolas asked with mock horror.

Adlanniel rolled her light blue eyes. "No Legolas, I am merely promoting knives. There is a difference."

"Prince Legolas, Princess Adlanniel, where have you been? King Thranduil wishes to see you." Galion, the butler, said, approaching the two elves.

"Thank you Galion. We were at the archery range." Legolas said. "Where is he?"

"In his study." Galion replied.

Adlanniel gave him a smile of thanks as she and Legolas walked toward their father's study.

It always surprised Galion, how alike they were. Legolas was the elder, by two hundred years, but they had always been close, far closer than Legolas and his older brother by three hundred years, Aradan. They were both tall and lean, with a cat-like grace. Adlanniel's blonde hair was longer than her brother's, her eyes a lighter shade of blue, and she was shorter in stature, only reaching Legolas' nose, something he teased her endlessly about. But even if she was smaller in stature, she was no smaller in spirit. She always held her head high; she wasn't a demure, docile elleth like some would want. She had a fiery temper and she was proud, but she was a kind to everyone and loyal to her friends to the bitter end. Her prowess in battle had only been proven once, but when she had been wounded Thranduil had forbidden her to fight in the next war. She wasn't as good a shot as Legolas, although she came close, but she could beat him using her dual knives. Galion watched them disappear before hurrying away. He had duties to attend to after all.

"I wonder what Ada needs. What do you think it will be?" Adlanniel asked.

"I do not know. If he wants us both, in his study, it must be serious. Do you suppose he found out about the trip to Laketown?" Legolas answered

"I hope not! You were forbidden to leave the palace that day! I do not know what came over me, helping you sneak out." Adlanniel replied.

"It was worth it, especially since he hasn't found out yet." Legolas smiled.

"Just make sure he doesn't find out. You know how creative he can be with his punishments." Adlanniel advised.

"I know, I know." Legolas said. He opened the door for Adlanniel and followed her into their father's study. Legolas' eyes widened when he saw what had been done to the normally neat and organized library. "Ada, why did you move the war room into your private study?" he asked.

"The war room was being cleaned, I found all this stuff on the ground in the hall, and I needed it." Thranduil answered, gesturing to a seat. "Sit down."

Legolas lifted a pile of maps off a couch and Adlanniel moved a shield from a chair. More maps lined the walls, books were on the floor around the desk, a map of the palace was on the desk and next to it was a map of the whole Mirkwood. Thalion, the captain of the guard, was examining a map of eastern Mirkwood, Saeldur, Thranduil's most trusted advisor, was flipping through a book, and Revion, the elf that was in control of the current border patrol, was sitting on another chair, looking nervous. Soon, a harried looking Imrathon, Thalion's second in command, burst in the door. Thranduil looked up from the map of Mirkwood on his desk at the noise. "Good, everyone is here." He said, standing. Everyone dropped what they were doing to listen to him. "Everyone, I have some bad news. Mirkwood is under attack. Legions of orcs were seen about two miles from our western and eastern borders. There are several thousand, and they are clearly headed this way." Thalion grimaced, Imrathon sighed, and Saeldur nodded gravely. "You are the first I've told, and I would appreciate your advice." Thranduil placed a box of multi-colored stones on the table. "Revion, would you please place these exactly where the orcs are?" He pointed to the stones and backed away from the desk.

Revion walked over and pulled out a dark blue stone. "One squad is here," He placed the stone right on the Old Forest Road. "It is roughly five hundred strong." Everyone gathered around the desk. Revion pulled a dusky red stone. "Another is here." He placed it in the forest, slightly off the Road. "They are maybe three hundred strong, and are about twenty miles from the Road." Revion placed a tan stone on the eastern border, by the River Running. "Three hundred." He pulled a glittering black stone from the box and placed it in the eastern part of the Mountains of Mirkwood. "Two hundred." A deep purple stone came next, placed close to the River Running, but further south than the first. "Five hundred." A bright orange one was set in the western part of the Mountains of Mirkwood. "Four hundred." The elves could hardly believe their eyes. "This is the last one." Revion said, pulling a jet black stone form the box. He placed it across the Anduin, in Gladdon Fields. He closed his eyes. "Six hundred."

Adlanniel placed her hand over her mouth. "Two thousand, eight hundred orcs." She stated quietly.

"How many warriors do we have here?" Legolas asked.

"Three thousand total, but five hundred are out on border patrol." Thalion answered, leaning over the table.

"We should keep them on the borders, and send reinforcements if possible." Imrathon remarked. "They are our first line of defense."

"True." Thranduil said, examining the stones all over the map. "The north is safe; no one is ever up there, not with Smaug dwelling in Erebor. We will send their hundred to the west, which is where the attack will be the worst. Probably…here." He dropped a bright green on the Old Forest Road. "The patrol of three hundred originally on that road shall join them."

Legolas pulled a dark green stone out of the box. "If we position troops, maybe two hundred, just inside the forest by the River Running and have the fifty patrol soldiers already there, they will be more than a match for the three hundred orcs. The fifty were in my squad, I trained them, they are some of the best."  
"I agree." Revion said. "I know the person who is in command there now; he will keep the orcs at bay." Legolas set the stone down and Thranduil nodded his approval.

Adlanniel picked out a golden stone and placed it in the forest so it was head on with the small squad of orcs that had wandered off the road. "A small team of archers here, no more than a hundred and fifty, if stationed in the trees, could easily pick off the three hundred orcs here. They are in our territory; they are loud and clunky, whereas we can move silently and quickly through the trees. Here it is our game and we can play it by our rules." She said.

Thranduil looked at his daughter with pride in his eyes. "True. And by putting them here we can protect the palace, for that group is the greatest threat to those here as of right now."

Imrathon picked a jade-colored stone and placed it north of the Old Forest Road and South of the Mountains. "This group will have to be large, five hundred at least, to take on the groups coming out of the mountains. We would need to spread them out, all along the road until the furthest reaches of the mountains. We can take them by surprise, but we should not enter the mountains. And if we do this, we will protect the back and right flank of the ones along the road here, which otherwise would be vulnerable to the four hundred here."

"It makes sense, though I would add to the number. They will be against six hundred, and any that may get past the group on the forest road." Thalion pointed out.

"Six hundred then." Imrathon said.

"We will need a group here, to counter those coming up from the Southeast nest to the River Running." Revion remarked. "There are five hundred so that will have to be another large group; I would suggest six hundred and fifty to seven hundred." He placed a pinkish stone in front of the deep purple one.

"Five hundred." Adlanniel said firmly. "Maybe six hundred. Are you forgetting that most of our patrol guards are stationed here?" Adlanniel ran her finger along the eastern border beside the River Running. "That is two hundred more elves; seven hundred more is a waste of soldiers. There will be seven hundred that way and we will have a definite edge. The extra two hundred that you wanted to send can be at the palace, or across the river, or even in reserve. Some elves will die, as much as we will try to prevent it. You are not thinking of the full scope of this war." She looked Revion in the eye. "And you want to move them north; it is easier to attack from the side. And that way, they will be able to turn and attack these orcs, if some were to break through." Adlanniel moved the pink stone up.

Thranduil had trouble holding back a smile. He loved how his daughter could be so fiery, how she wasn't afraid to dress down someone who made a mistake, especially one like that. Legolas didn't even bother to hold suppress his grin. "Revion, I think we should give Adlanniel your job." He joked. "She knows more about the strength of our borders than you do!" Thalion and Imrathon snickered and Saeldur smiled.

"Now is not the time for jokes Legolas." Thranduil said sternly. But everyone could see the merriment in his eyes and know he wasn't serious. "That leaves only this group." Thranduil tapped the jet black stone across the river. "We need to set aside warriors to fight them, but you say they aren't moving to cross the river?" He directed his question at Revion, who shook his head.

"No they aren't. I think they may be the reserves, or perhaps one final attack force for when the battle is nearly over." Revion answered.

"It takes several hours to cross the Anduin, and no matter what they do they will flow south with the current." Saeldur pointed out. War wasn't his forte; he was only there for information such as what he had just given. "Unless they move north about fifty miles," he tapped the map just above the small stream that fed the Anduin River, "they will land around Dol Guldur."

"Which means they will have to backtrack, adding nearly a day to their trip." Adlanniel pointed out. "I would send several scouts to watch their position but nothing else. It all depends on what they do, if we put them in the wrong place and make them wait, spiders or another squad of orcs could stumble across them."

"I agree with Adlanniel." Legolas said. "There are too many options, too many things that could go wrong. In this case, we should be safe."

"We need to make sure the scouts are fast riders, so they can report as soon as they know what the orcs are doing." Imrathon remarked.

"I know five that are here right now." Thalion remarked.

"Excellent." Thranduil said. "It is a sad thing that we are being attacked, but I know we shall win, with such excellent tacticians as you. Imrathon, make sure everything is in order at the armory. Thalion, inform the soldiers of our situation. Revion, find the five soldiers Thalion was speaking of, tell them of our situation and send them off immediately. They must stay on this side of the river. Saeldur, find the chief healer and the current expert on this palace's inner workings and send them to me." Thranduil ordered. The elves hurried off, leaving only Legolas and Adlanniel.

"I would like to fight ada." Legolas stated quietly.

"And you shall Legolas. Not only because your elder brother is the crown prince but because he can't hit a target from fifty yards away. He inherited his mother's battle skills: words." Thranduil saddened when he thought of Falanthia, who had died shortly after Adlanniel was born. "Do you want to be here, inside the border south of the River Running? It's not with your old squad, but…"

"I would like that ada. Thank you." Legolas answered.

"May I go as well?" Adlanniel asked. "I would enjoy fighting with Legolas, and you need every elf you can get."

Thranduil glanced at his daughter with a pained look on his face. "I'm afraid not Adlanniel, I am sorry."

"Why not?" Adlanniel asked. "I can fight just as well as Legolas!"

"I do not doubt your fighting skills." Thranduil assured her. "It's just…" he trailed off, trying to find the right words.

"It's just what?" Adlanniel demanded.

"Oh Adlanniel. When you were wounded in the last battle…you almost died! You were so close…if Lord Elrond hadn't been here we would have lost you." Thranduil looked down at the desk. "I couldn't lose you. I love you too much to let anything happen to you. I lost your mother, isn't that enough?" Adlanniel could tell her father was near tears. She had never seen him so upset before. Silently, she walked over to him and gave him a hug. He placed his hand under her chin and made her look up at him. "I know you want to fight Adlanniel, and I am sorry. And it is a selfish reason to stop you, I admit. But I will not risk losing you again."

"I understand ada." She said softly, pulling away from her father and leaving the study, Legolas following.

"He is right you know." Legolas commented suddenly once they left the room.

"What do you mean?" Adlanniel asked.

"Adlanniel, when you fell off your horse…I was the only one who saw it, I fought my way to you, you were fighting still, but your blood was gushing out. Right under your left ribcage, your tunic was drenched in your own blood. I shot the orc you were fighting and you turned to look at me. I called your name and you didn't even recognize me Adlanniel!" Legolas stopped walking and stopped Adlanniel too. "I was terrified, then you fell, your sword fell out of your hands…it was in slow motion for me. If Elladan and Elrohir hadn't come to see why I stopped fighting, you wouldn't have made it back to the palace. Elrohir used his cloak to bind your ribs and Elladan put you on my horse. All that time, I was just standing, staring at your red blood staining the green grass. Elladan made me come to my senses and I rode you back as fast as I could. I was so afraid Adlanniel. I thought I had lost you. You were so cold…" Legolas stopped and took a deep breath before continuing. "When I got back to the palace, ada happened to be in the front hall. He saw you in my arms and he cried. He _cried_ Adlanniel! Lord Elrond was the one who actually got you to the healing wing. He didn't leave your side for two days! He was utterly drained when you were finally starting to get better. I couldn't return to the battle, all my thoughts were on you and I would have made stupid decisions. Adlanniel I had never been so afraid in my life. I was so sure I would lose you…" Legolas put his hand on her shoulder. "I probably would have died if I lost you." He finished softly.

"Legolas…" Adlanniel threw herself into her brother's arms. She hugged him, pressing her cheek against his own. She felt herself crying, and knew Legolas was too. She wondered what it would feel like to live without her older brother, but the thought was too terrifying and she pushed it away.

Legolas ran his hand over Adlanniel's soft hair. "Adlanniel, promise me you won't come to fight."

"Legolas, have you thought about how I would feel if something happened to you?" Adlanniel asked. She didn't wait for an answer. "You know how you felt when something happened to me; I would feel the same if something happened to you. So I stay here and you don't have to worry about me being hurt. But here I am, worrying that something has happened to you." Legolas realized that she was right. "It would be better if we went together and protected each other. But you heard ada; I'm under orders to stay here." Adlanniel sounded bitter.  
"Adlanniel, you know just as well as I do that ada's orders will do nothing to stop you if you don't want to follow them." Legolas said, holding his sister at arm's length. "I want you to promise me." She was silent. "Promise me." He looked into her ocean blue eyes as if searching for something, some truth that would make her stay.

Adlanniel closed her eyes and looked down at the ground. She couldn't break a promise she made to Legolas, just like couldn't break one he made to her. The trust they had flowed deep, it meant the whole world to her. "I promise." She said softly.

Legolas tilted her head up so she was looking into his eyes. "Thank you Adlanniel." A tear fell from her eye right onto his hand. "I love you now and forever theldithen (tr: little sister)." He whispered in her ear. "Now, I have to get ready to go. Do not forget your promise Adlanniel." Legolas walked off down the hall toward his rooms, but Adlanniel stayed standing where she was for a very long time. Legolas' words to her echoed in her head_. I love you now and forever theldithen._ She knew she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if something happened to him. With a heavy sigh, she trudged off to her rooms.

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Remember: Reviews make me happy! 

Namarie,  
Lady Altaria


	2. Reinforcements

Hello everyone! I do not own Lord of the Rings. I'm sorry about the long wait with all of my stories--I'm updating them all as an apology!

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Legolas left the next day, and somehow Adlanniel had managed to hold back her tears until he was gone. To compensate not being able to go, Thranduil had made her his second in command on all matters concerning the small war. She got to read the reports, help decide what to do, help organize supplies, decode messages, and stand in on the war councils, something she had always done, much to the jealousy of Aradan, whose knowledge of battle was equal to that of a snail's.

Four days later, an elf that Adlanniel recognized as a scout came running into the study. She was the only one there; Thranduil had gone to answer an urgent letter from Elrond. "Princess Adlanniel, I must see King Thranduil. I have the latest reports from the borders." He said quickly.

"Give them to me." Adlanniel commanded. The elf looked uncertain. "I am his second in command, please hand them over!" The elf still looked unsure. "It is written right on the envelopes that you can give them to me!" Adlanniel cried. Sure enough, on the envelopes were the words, 'Urgent, give to either King Thranduil or Princess Adlanniel.' Embarrassed, the elf handed them over. Adlanniel quickly looked at the green lines on the back of the first envelope. She sat down at the desk, grabbing a large, leather bound book on the way there. She sat placed it in front of her until she reached a page marked with a green star. She quickly wrote words in her flowing hand under the lines, using the book as a reference. When she finished, it read, 'from Revion, the eastern border, directly south of the Mirkwood Mountains.' Adlanniel pulled a map toward her and scanned it until she found a red dot with an R written on it. That stood for Revion, and he was right on the border, just inside the trees. She jotted that down on the envelope and pulled out the message. It was written in the Tengwar, which was a very bad thing. That meant he hadn't had time to code it, meaning it was an emergency. When she read it her heart sank. Another seven hundred orcs were heading their way, to the south of where Revion was stationed.

She quickly calculated that. _Three thousand, five hundred orcs! We are outnumbered now._ She pulled out the next letter, which was from Thalion, who was posted right next to the River Running. His letter said the same thing, except that the orcs were still heading south. Adlanniel checked the map again. Thalion's elves had been pushed back into the forest and north slightly, and directly south of them was…Legolas. The orcs were heading toward their weakest point on the eastern border, which was the seven hundred elves that Legolas was the commander of. Her older brother had only lost ten, and they had made a significant dent in the orcs. But the orcs had run, scattered before they were obliterated, and they would regroup at different times and in different places to attack the group. Seven hundred more orcs would put the orcs at an advantage. _Calm down. We've got enough relief soldiers still here that they will be safe. I will write the dispatch order immediately, and have ada sign it once he reads these messages. As soon as I read the last message, I'll write it. Legolas will be fine._ Adlanniel tried to calm herself. It didn't work very well. It was with shaking hands that Adlanniel opened the last message. It was the scouts on the western border, the ones watching the six hundred orcs on Gladdon Fields. With a cry, Adlanniel let the message drop. It fell to the floor without a sound. Thranduil, who had entered while she read the letter, picked it up. He paled steadily as he read it. It said:

'_King Thranduil, I hate to inform you of this, but three hundred more orcs have just come down from the Misty Mountains to join the ones waiting across the river. They moved north about thirty miles this morning and started crossing the Anduin. Their expected landing point is about five miles south of the group of orcs inside the Mirkwood, and we believe it is their intention to join them. I probably need not remind you of this, but that is where we have stationed only one hundred and fifty elves. We are watching their movements and shall keep you aware of what we assume are their intentions.'_ It was signed by Imrathon, who was one of the five scouts.

Thranduil set the letter on the desk. "Three hundred more…"

"It is more like one thousand, ada." Adlanniel corrected, handing him the other two letters. When he finished she looked up at him. "The seven hundred are heading for Legolas." She whispered.

Thranduil fell onto a couch, looking suddenly pained and weary. "What do I do Adlanniel? Of the hundred and fifty, twenty five have been killed, Legolas has lost ten. We have one thousand, forty five soldiers here; some need to remain her to protect the palace, probably two hundred, bringing that total down to eight hundred and forty five. That is one hundred and fifty five more orcs than elves we can use for relief. By the Valar, seven hundred are heading my son, but the archers need relief more, the have nine hundred heading toward them."

Adlanniel stared at the map, trying to force her mind to figure something out, but the stones and pen marks were blurry and runny from the tears clouding her eyes. Angrily, she wiped them away. "The orcs in the western part of the mountains have all been killed, and so have more than half of the ones in the east. Five hundred elves were posted there, twenty-two died, so if we bring three-fourths of the remaining four hundred and seventy eight elves, which is…" Adlanniel paused to calculate the numbers. "Three hundred and fifty eight elves, to the aid of the archers, leaving one hundred and twenty to find and hunt the rest of the orcs."

Thranduil rose from his place on the couch and hurried over to the desk, standing beside his daughter and examining the map. "You're right! And the group of five hundred orcs on the Old Forest Road has been nearly wiped out, we can move those elves down to the archers as well…how many of the four hundred elves did we lose there?"

Adlanniel checked a smaller book. "One hundred. That was open war, there was no secrecy or planning, the orcs caught them unawares." She answered.

"So since there are still some orcs in hiding…we'll leave fifty to take care of them and move the other two hundred and fifty south to the archers." Thranduil said, moving the stone.

"So there are now…seven hundred and thirty-three elves here to counter nine hundred orcs." Adlanniel calculated. "And we still have eight hundred and twenty five in reserve!"

"And of those, we shall send five hundred to Legolas, giving him an advantage again." Thranduil said. "Thank you Adlanniel. Without you I may not have figured it out until too late. If you hadn't been keeping such accurate records-"

"King Thranduil!" An elf called, bursting into the room. Adlanniel's heart sank. "I have a report from Legolas and it isn't good." The elf was disheveled and covered in thick, blackish blood.

Thranduil took the message but handed it to Adlanniel immediately. "I can't open it." He said softly.

Adlanniel's hands were shaking as she opened the message, and tears sprang to her eyes when she read her brother's looping hand. "Spiders." She remarked quietly, scanning the letter again. "Spiders have come out of Southern Mirkwood and attacked their camp. They were the Naru Adel, the deadly red-backs. There were sixteen and they killed fourteen elves and wounded twenty-seven more, seven of which are believed to be fatal, before they were either killed or forced to retreat. They have been well inside the forest fighting." Adlanniel looked up at her father, her voice, her whole body for that matter, quivering. "They do not know about the orcs."

Thranduil closed his eyes and placed his hands on his temples. "Do that math for me, Adlanniel." He requested.

"If none of the wounded fight and we do not send his messenger back, there are six hundred and forty eight soldiers, plus the five hundred we were going to send him, makes one thousand, one hundred and forty eight elves, against nine hundred orcs. But now if they have to fight the spiders, since the orcs will not make it there for two days, which could change the outcome seriously."

"Southern Mirkwood is a spider haven. It is the only place we do not routinely destroy them. I did not want my elves near Dol Guldur. And now, in these times of war, I send my son." Thranduil said. "You don't think that something shall venture up from Dol Guldur do you?" he asked Adlanniel.

"I hope not ada, I hope not." Adlanniel replied with a shudder.

Thranduil put his hand on his daughter's shoulder and gave it a friendly squeeze. "Do not worry, it will not happen. It may only be a suspicion that it is getting stronger."

But Adlanniel knew her father was just trying to keep her calm. The evil power had been growing in Dol Guldur steadily for a year. It had ceased or slowed after the Wise had discovered it in TA1100, but Adlanniel knew it was there.

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**Review Responses!  
lala: **Thanks! I plan on it. I have several more chapters I can upload after a little more editing. Thanks for reviewing!

**Southern Gaelic:** I was worried about that. I think I made her a bit less Sueish in teh next few chapters. Oh well. Thanks for reviewing, and for the criticism!

--Lady Altaria


	3. Warning

Hello everyone. A few of you will be glad to know that I have through chapter 10 written for this story! I really enjoy writing it--it will go one for even longer than that, I think. So heres chapter 3!

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It was dark. It was always dark in the southern regions of Mirkwood. The trees and undergrowth grew rapidly and unchecked, the spiders were gigantic and powerful. And it was evil. Evil was a tangible feeling. There were Nazgul dwelling there. Nazgul and another power, one far worse. And he was orchestrating the attack on the elven realms of central and northern Mirkwood. He knew that one of the greatest forces of light and good lived there. And he wanted him dead. Because he had seen in the palantír that he would try to foil his plans. Something he could not, under any circumstances, allow to happen. He would not lose again. Just to ensure the completion of his plans, he was sending some of his…friends. He couldn't trust the orcs not to ruin it completely. Although he had to admit, the elves' plans had been spectacular, countering him at every turn. He needed to make sure he killed the mastermind behind them in an extremely painful way. But first things first. Destroy the powerful force of good, _then_ kill everyone else.

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It was two days later and Adlanniel was just having a late breakfast with Thranduil when an elf came bursting in, covered with blood and gore, an expression of paralyzing fear on his face. He just stood there for a moment, trying to catch his breath before saying anything. "King Thranduil, Princess Adlanniel." He said. "It has been a long, hard journey back, and I must say that I-"

"Just spit it out!" Thranduil roared.

"I was in Legolas' squad." The elf said hurriedly. "The spiders have returned, another twenty dead, thirty-seven wounded. The soldiers you sent were waylaid by a band of orcs that have been running rampant, I do not know from where, but they were being cut down as I passed. Seven hundred orcs arrived yesterday, we were nearly wiped out, only four hundred of our six hundred and ninety remained, they took us completely by surprise. But the worst thing…" The elf lowered his voice. "Two Nazgul came from Dol Guldur this morning they killed twenty more, none wounded."

Adlanniel gasped and Thranduil looked angry and worried at the same time. "Continue." He said tersely.

"We tried to fight them, 'twas Prince Legolas who scared one away with a fire arrow while someone else killed its horse. After slaughtering a few more, the other one turned around and fled back where he came from. The strangest thing was that they seemed to always be after Prince Legolas." The elf continued his tale.

Adlanniel jumped up and dashed over to the elf. "Is he alive? Is he hurt? What happened to him? Please tell me everything." She begged.

The elf gave her a small smile. "He is perfectly fine, and he is one of the best warriors out there. He's killed more than my friends and I put together. He received one wound on the retreat from the large horde, but it was not poisoned and it has already healed. He thought you would ask, so he sent you a message." The elf said, handing her a small folded note, "I haven't read it, on my honor." Adlanniel beamed at him before hurrying to the study. Unless her math was wrong, the outcome of this battle could be seriously changed.

Thranduil rose and followed his daughter. "Go get changed and bathed, I do not know what you will be doing after we have figured this out." He ordered the other elf.

* * *

"Well?" Thranduil asked when he reached his study, only to see Adlanniel staring, shocked, at a piece of paper.

"Three hundred and eighteen." She said slowly. "Legolas has three hundred and eighteen elves, a force that would be considered quite formidable if it wasn't facing approximately five hundred orcs, uncountable poisonous spiders, and a Nazgul. The five hundred elves have been slowed by a band of orcs that is completely unaccounted for…" Adlanniel pulled the map of Mirkwood toward her, along with several decoded messages. "The troop of orcs on Old Forest Road has been obliterated, every single on accounted for, the elves we ordered to remain there made their way down to help the group facing the nine hundred from across the river, which is winning, but only barely. We are rapidly losing elves there."

"We still have three hundred in reserve." Thranduil reminded her.

"I know, I know. But listen. Thalion was killed and the orcs his group was fighting have been forcing their way into the forest. I don't know why, the nasty beasts fight much better on open ground, but we have been slowly picking them off. The orcs could have come from there, but if they successfully halted the progress of five hundred elves, there had to have been more than the three hundred that were originally there. Two hundred of the orcs are gone, that's an approximate from the reports, and the remaining elves are engaged in battle with them as we speak!" Adlanniel slammed her fist down on the desk. "What am I missing? The orcs in the mountains have been slaughtered, all accounted for, the small number of elves that were assigned to hunt them are helping Thalion's…well, Beriadan's group now. Another group of four hundred is across the River Running, heading for either Legolas or Beriadan's force, but they shouldn't arrive at our borders until tomorrow!."

"Calm down daughter. Come here." He held out his arms to Adlanniel, who was in them in a flash. "It will be fine, do not worry." He comforted her, holding her close.

"Ada, I'm so worried." She whispered into his tunic.  
Thranduil considered a moment. "Let us pretend that you are but an elfling again, and you believe that I can do anything. What would you have me do?"

"I would have you bring Legolas home." Adlanniel closed her eyes against her tears.

"Anything else?" Thranduil asked, holding back his own tears.

"No, but if you couldn't do that I would ask you to let me fight with him." Adlanniel pulled away slightly.

"Adlanniel, you have fought the war more effectively here in this room than you ever could have on the battlefield." Thranduil sighed. He walked over to a couch and sat down. Adlanniel stood in front of him and Thranduil held her hands in his own and looked up into her blue eyes. "You have done more to fight this than I have. I sit here and listen to you devise battle strategies, strategies that have eliminated three-fourths of the orcs quickly and with little death of our own people. This would be over without you in this room."

"You can plan a battle just as well as I can, and you are the one arranging for supplies and medicine and healers to different squads." Adlanniel retorted.

"No. Nostariel, the chief healer, has been getting all of the medicines together and assigning healers to squads according to their skill and sending them along to Saeldur so he can look at the maps and find the quickest and safest roads for them to take, roads that _you _have made safe. Airedheil, the elfess in charge of the food supplies, has been doing the same with the food. I haven't done anything but sit in this room with you all day and look important." Thranduil corrected her.

"That's not true, ada." Adlanniel wrinkled her nose in something that resembled amusement. "I know for a fact that you've been helping Saeldur plenty. Don't understate what you've been doing."

Thranduil plowed on like he hadn't even heard her. "And as for planning battles, how many suggestions did I make at the first meeting?"

Adlanniel thought back. "One, the first one." She answered.

"Why do you think that you have been going to those meetings since you could read a map? Even for the spider hunts you were helpful, even if it was only an accident sometimes. Once you knocked over the box of stones and Legolas realized that where one had landed would be the perfect place to launch his attack. It was only chance of course, but he won that battle because you found the right place. You can plan a battle better than I can." Thranduil admitted.

"You liar!" Adlanniel screamed, all traces of good humor vanished like the wind. "You just don't want me to fight! You don't want to lose me, but you don't seem to realize that you may lose Legolas! Well I think you can plan your own Eru forsaken war!" She stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Thranduil put his head in his hands and a tear slipped down his cheek. Her accusations hurt, and he had been being completely honest. Thalion had known, he had never had much tactical sense, Falanthia had however, and it seemed that Adlanniel had inherited it, her and Legolas. He helped Saeldur plenty, with messages and crunching numbers, often staying up late into the night, but it was often that he turned to someone else for advice. She was right however, about not wanting to lose her. He did realize how close he had come to losing Legolas; he had come close several times, but ever since she was a tiny baby Adlanniel had reminded him of her mother in so many ways. She looked like him, so did Legolas, only Aradan looked like Falanthia, with her doe brown eyes and dark brown hair, but she acted like her. She had the same firmly rooted common sense, the same fiery spirit and sharp temper, although he had to admit he had one too, the same quick mind, the same excellent memory…when Falanthia had died Adlanniel had been all Thranduil had had left of his wife. Thranduil stood and walked over to the desk. He sat in his chair, for the first time in several days, at his desk, and looked at the code books organized in piles, he didn't know why Adlanniel used them, she had them all memorized, the records of elven deaths, orc deaths, the neatly marked maps, and the stones…when she had slammed the door, the box of stones had spilled. Most of them were on the floor, but one was on the map. It was a shiny yellow one, the same color as the one Adlanniel had used to mark the rogue band of orcs, and it was lying right on top of Dol Guldur.

* * *

Adlanniel stormed into her room and collapsed crying on the bed. Legolas didn't know about the soldiers coming to help, nor did he know about the four hundred orcs across the river that could be coming his way. He needed help, the relief force they sent wouldn't get there in time, not of the orc horde was as big as she thought it was. He could handle it if he had a warning...Adlanniel jumped off her bed and ran to the chest at the end of her bed. She opened it and pulled out her sword, it was still sharp from the last time she practiced, and her bow and quiver. She pulled out her knives as well, which needed to be sharpened, and slipped into her closet.

When she emerged, she was wearing a light green tunic, a dark green overshirt, dark green breeches, and soft, supple leather boots. She took down her elaborate braids, letting her blonde hair tumble down her back, before braiding it in the traditional warrior style, two braids on the side, and one thicker braid using the top half of her hair to keep it out of her face. She belted her sword and sheath to her waist, and with a small smile she pulled on the gray-green cloak she had gotten in Lothlorien last time she went. She picked up her bow and slid her quiver on her arm, holding her knives in their sheaths in her other hand. She was going to Legolas, he needed to know. He would rather she broke her promise than die, wouldn't he?

An hour later, her quiver was full, her knives were sharp, and she was ready to go. She walked her ebony mare out of the stable before jumping on. "Noro lim, Turtegiel, noro lim!" The horse was off like a shot, her powerful legs churning, carrying her rider quickly out toward the battle. She had brought a map, but she had spent the last few days picturing one in her mind constantly, trying to figure out how to counter the orcs, so she hardly needed one. She needed to beat the orcs across the River Running, the orcs in the forest who were attacking her relief force, and the spiders, whenever they may come again, to her brother's camp. She urged her horse to go faster. She was flying like a shadow in the night, silently through the thick undergrowth and under the dense foliage of Mirkwood's giant trees. The only thing that would stop her, could stop her, at this point was her father, and he was oblivious. Adlanniel relaxed and let the exhilaration of riding her horse flow through her, the light of battle in her blue eyes.

* * *

"King Thranduil, Princess Adlanniel, I have the updated count of orcs dead at the battle sight just off the Old Forest Road. The battle has been steadily moving north, I do not know how-" The elf stopped abruptly when he realized Thranduil was the only one in the study, and his head was on the desk, pillowed by his arm, and he seemed to be crying. It unnerved the elf immensely. "I'll just go find Princess Adlanniel." He said, backing out of the room. Thranduil didn't even notice.

About an hour later, the elf returned, puzzled. "King Thranduil, I can not find Adlanniel, and no one has seen her since she was last with you. Do you know where she is? Saeldur is frantic, he said something a horse named Turtegiel missing, and a set of black dual knives not being in the armory…does this mean she's gone?"

Thranduil sat bolt upright. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of the elf, his hands on his shoulders, his eyes pained and worried lines creasing on his face. "What did Saeldur say?" he asked quietly, his voice full of pain. "What was missing?"

"A black horse named Turtegiel and a set of black opal knives." He answered. He was scared of Thranduil like this.

"By the Valar!" The king exclaimed. "She's gone! Quick! Where's Saeldur?"

"He was outside the Princess' chambers when I last saw him-" But the elf didn't get to finish before Thranduil was sprinting down the hallway toward his daughter's rooms.

"King Thranduil!" Saeldur exclaimed, meeting him in the hallway. "Adlanniel is missing! All of her weaponry is gone, her horse is out of the stables, and the gown she was wearing today is in a heap on her closet floor! She must have changed and taken her Lothlorien cloak, for it is missing also!"

Thranduil skidded to a stop, tears in her eyes. He picked up a piece of parchment that was lying on the ground. He unfolded it and saw his son's loopy but neat script filling up the page. "It's Legolas' note to her, he knew she would be worried so he sent it back with the messenger. I should have known I couldn't keep them apart."

"What do you mean?" Saeldur asked.

"She's gone to fight with Legolas. She got angry with me, and she went to warn him of the danger he was in. She loves him so much Saeldur, and he loves her the same, if not more. They would die for each other, and that is what I'm afraid will happen." Thranduil explained. He slid down the wall he was leaning on and sat on the ground, his head in his hands. "I'm either going to see them back, alive and healthy, very soon, or I'm never going to see either of them alive again. There will not be one. It is all or nothing. Ai Elbereth, what will I do without them?" Thranduil started to sob softly, and Saeldur sat down beside him.

"Do not worry Thranduil. They are probably safer together than apart, they will protect each other. Everything will turn out fine, mellon nin." Saeldur tried his best to comfort the king.

"Saeldur, if one dies, the other will die. If not defending the other's dead body until the end, then they will fade from grief. But I can not orchestrate this battle alone, Adlanniel was doing much of the troop moving, positioning, and battle planning, now Thalion's dead, and everyone else I would turn to is out fighting! I can do it with help, I need to sign everything anyway. But I don't know if I can plan a battle on my own, it's been so long…"

"Well maybe you just need practice!" Saeldur said, forcing himself to sound cheerful. "You have been depending on others to do all of your war plans for you, it's about time you got back on your own two feet. I'm here to help you, and you have always been able to plan battles just fine. Come on, let's start right now." Saeldur practically dragged Thranduil back to his study and sat him down at the desk. "I'll handle codes. What you should do is review the records here…"

* * *

Well, there it is.

**kingmaker:** Your review is much appreciated! I had a lot of fun planning the strategy--I even got two maps of Mirkwood and color coded it, and drew arrows and everything! I thought of it like one giant game of chess. I love tactical mind games like this one:gives me mental exercise:) And I think it's horribly cheesy how the good guys are always outnumbered, and still always win. I took delicious pleasure in killing Thalion off this chap: he was quite important! (evil grin). I wonder why someone doesn't make a movie where the good guys outnumber the bad guys two to one and still get severly trounced! He he he. Thanks again for reviewing!

Namarie,  
Lady Altaria


	4. Adlanniel, Theldithen

Hello everyone! Me again. Here's ch 4. I really love writing this story--and I just figured out how to write a particularly troublesome chappie. I've always known what would happen to Adlanniel, but I couldn't figure out how to write it! So now I'm good!

Okay, no more rambling. On with the story!

* * *

Adlanniel called her horse to a halt when she reached the top of a hill, looking out at the rising sun. She strained her eyes and saw a thick black stream of orcs at the edge of the horizon. They would be there within the day, they may reach Legolas before she did. She bit her bottom lip, considering. She could move faster than they could, but they were further south than she was, and on open plains, she would have to navigate through the trees. They should arrive at about the same time. "Noro lim!" She told Turtegiel. She thanked the Valar her horse was so strong and had such excellent endurance, she had slowed considerably during the night, but now it would be a race to the finish. Her horse was running again, her hooves barely seeming to touch the ground. _Not long now, not long. _

She heard the sounds of battle before she saw it. _By the Valar!_ She cursed inwardly. She had lost! Whipping her bow off her back, she rode out of the cover of trees and into the fray. There were elves in the trees, shooting the orcs below with pinpoint precision, elves on horses, some shooting, some using swords or spears, elves on foot, using swords or spears or knives. Legolas was in the front and slightly to the right, on his pure white horse, cutting down orcs by the dozen. In one fluid motion, Adlanniel fit and arrow to the string and shot an orc behind Legolas with it, soon to be followed by a volley. Her bow was humming, her arrows flying straight and true, raining death on the enemy.

Adlanniel heard a loud clicking behind her. She turned her horse and saw two giant spiders attacking the rear. She aimed her bow carefully, intending to hit the one closest to her in the eye. But at the last moment, her horse started kicking and bucking and she missed, her arrow embedding itself in a leg instead. "By the Valar!" She exclaimed. She calmed her horse and cut up a few more orcs with her sword. When she was safe again the spiders had been taken care of, though several elves were lying on the ground beside them. She was putting her bow back on her back when Turtegiel collapsed beneath her. Sliding off, Adlanniel gasped with horror when she saw what had happened. When her horse had bucked and kicked, it was because she had been cut. Her back and right flank were bloody and red. She was in no shape to fight. "You survive, understand?" Adlanniel whispered in the horse's ear. "Tyulta. (Stand up)." She commanded. Slowly, with extreme difficulty, Turtegiel did as she was bid. Adlanniel slammed her knives deep into an orc's chest. "Nornoro! (Run away, fast!)" She commanded the horse. "Na varna! (Be safe!)" The horse nuzzled her back once before following her mistress' orders. It was an age old custom of the elves, to send their horses somewhere safe if they were wounded. Turtegiel would probably go just out of the range of the battle, or maybe back to Thranduil's palace.

Legolas looked out over the battle. The elves were winning, they were pushing the elves back. He saw a jet black horse, wounded, running from the battle, and he was reminded of Adlanniel. _Ai Elbereth, I hope she's safe_. He continued hewing the orcs, believing that his sister was safe at home. But she was close to right behind him.

Duck, slice, spin, thrust, step back, slice, knives between armor, chop, step right, block, thrust, duck, jump left, slice, spin, block, impale, half-turn, plunge knife in, block, slice, twist…Adlanniel fought the orcs almost mechanically, killing quickly and efficiently. They received a better death than they deserved at her hand, unlike when they killed an elf, they may just cut off limbs and leave them to bleed to death. Orc arrows were covered with splinters, and the points were barbed, making them an incredibly painful way to die, an orc would receive a quicker, more painless death from Legolas' arrows. Adlanniel pondered this as she cut and sliced, blocked and weaved in and out of a group of orcs. _Why do those who deserve death get a relatively painless one, from a well made arrow or sword, when those who deserve life die painfully, from a splintered arrow or slowly bleeding to death from losing a limb by a dull and rusty blade? Should we give them say same amount of cruelty they show us? No, for that would make us just as bad as them. I wonder-_ Adlanniel let out a cry of pain as an arrow punched into her right shoulder, going completely through. Her shoulder burned, and she held it, watching her own blood trickle onto her fingers and stain them red. An orc gave her a cruel, twisted smile. "Here's the one we want, boys." He yelled to the orcs, grabbing Adlanniel's arm. She sliced off his head with one of her knives and drew her sword, which glinted in the noon sun. Waves of pain flooded her as she reached back and broke the arrowhead off, sliding the shaft out of her shoulder, grimacing in pain as she did so.

"I thought we wanted a male elf!" An orc exclaimed.

"Maybe, but this one does fit his description perfectly." Another one pointed out.

While they were arguing, Adlanniel was systematically killing the orcs around her.

"But she's no male elf! That's a she-elf, Ecaffrab!" The first orc protested.

"Don't mouth off." Ecaffrab growled, slicing off the orc's head. Adlanniel sliced off the head of one more before moving to another part of the battlefield. "Now look at that! You let her get away!" Ecaffrab roared in fury, chopping the limbs off of the two orcs near him one by one.

Adlanniel had no idea what the orcs had been talking about, she was just grateful to get away. She tore off a strip of her tunic and bound her shoulder tightly. It was painful, but she would survive. She cursed when she realized she had dropped her knives. They had been her mother's; the hilts were black opal with deep blue patches that glinted and shone with an inner fire when the sun caught them. The blades were long and curved, with her name engraved on one and her mother's on the other. She treasured them: the only person who could even touch them was Legolas, and no one but her could use them. The mere idea of an orc touching them made her temper flare. She fought her way back to where she had lost them, against all common sense, mutilating the orcs that she passed in her anger. She reached the place and found them both still laying there, the sun making the opals flash blue. She sheathed her sword and picked them up, apologizing to her mother's memory for forgetting them. With the knives back in her possession she fought with a renewed vigor, killing orcs by the dozen.

Perhaps half an hour later, when the crowd of orcs had been greatly diminished, Adlanniel felt the white hot pain of another arrow piercing her left shoulder. This one did not go completely through, causing flashes of intense agony to temporarily paralyze her. "See Deahdiputs? I told you I'd get her. Now the boss'll be able to torture her. She won't ruin his plans in the future now will she? No, in fact, she might even help them!" The orcs laughed and walked up to her. Adlanniel was fighting to remain conscious, the pain in her shoulders causing her muscles to tremble and shake involuntarily. The orc on the head hit her on the face with his bow, making Adlanniel's head snap back, and she knew no more.

* * *

Legolas plunged his knives deep into the chest on the last orc and walked back to where the elves were gathering together. "I do believe we have killed them all." He announced to the weary but happy group. "How many have we lost?" 

"That's what we're trying to figure out, Milord." An elf answered. He looked puzzled. "We know fifty for sure, but we can't figure out whose these are." He handed Legolas a gray-green bundle.

Legolas unfolded the grey-green cloth and discovered it was a cloak, one of the ones the Galadhrim made. He shook it, and two knives fell out. He didn't notice but just handed the cloak back with a raised eyebrow. "'Tis merely a cloak, I do not see why it would matter-"

"It isn't the cloak, Prince Legolas, but rather these instead." An elf interrupted, picking up the two knives and handing them to Legolas. "Those and a jet black horse that was found just outside the battlefield. It was wounded, we assumed its master had ordered it away. But none of the elves here can identify it."

Legolas didn't hear a word the elf said. He was just staring at the knives. They had opal handles, and you could see splotches of blue that glinted in the sun, and on the blade in his right hand it read 'Falanthia', the one on his left 'Adlanniel'. "Adlanniel! Theldithen! (Little sister!)" He cried, tears coming to his eyes. "Where were they?" he asked harshly.

"This way. So those belong to Princess Adlanniel?" A new elf wondered, leading Legolas to the area outside the trees and not far from the River Running.

"Yes." Legolas forced his answer out through clenched teeth._ Elbereth Glithoniel Adlanniel! You promised me!_ Legolas was fighting to keep his composure when the elf showed him the exact spot.

"I found them, they were right next to that bloodstain there." The elf said.

Legolas fell to his knees, reaching out to touch the blood with one hand, holding the knife with Adlanniel's name on it with the other. "Adlanniel…theldithen…why? Why did you come? You promised me, Adlanniel! You promised me!" Legolas screamed at the bloodstained grass, as if his sister was lying there. He realized he was sobbing, harsh, gasping, uncontrollable sobs. "Adlanniel! Theldithen! Why? You promised me, you promised ada, we loved you, you left us! Don't leave me Adlanniel, I love you, theldithen!" He looked at his hands and saw drops of red blood on them. Her blood.

"Prince Legolas, would you like to see the horse?" The elf asked. He was acutely uncomfortable, he had never seen Legolas lose control before, and now his prince, his captain, his friend, was kneeling on the grass, crying, clutching the knife, running his hand over the bright red blood stain.

"Turtegiel." He whispered. "You sent your horse from you in battle; she could have protected you, Adlanniel! Cerial vainen, im melole Adlanniel, theldithen...(don't leave me, I love you Adlanniel, little sister…)" Legolas pictured his sister's smiling face from the morning before they found out about the war, when they were laughing and joking and playing because he had beaten her at archery. But he couldn't picture her like that for very long, and he remembered her as she was the day he brought her back the palace, half dead. Pale, blood on her clothes, her normally lively blue eyes dull, her blonde hair matted with gore…when Elrond removed Elrohir's makeshift bandage, the blood, her ashen skin stained with it, the tears he cried, the empty chasm he felt inside him where his heart had been…he stood slowly, holding her knives to him and followed the elf who was showing him her horse_. Theldithen, why? You promised me…_He saw the powerful, black form of Turtegiel trotting up to him. The horse nuzzled his shoulder, Legolas stroked her nose. "You loved her too didn't you? Did you get that trying to protect her?" He asked the horse, nodding his head toward her bloody right flank. The horse snorted and butted his chest, pushing him back in the direction he had just come from. "Turtegiel, I'm not in the mood for games." Legolas snapped, all patience gone, walking off. He removed his own knives from their sheaths and carefully placed Adlanniel's in them, before climbing nimbly up a tree. _Why? We never break promises to each other, I thought you were safe! Adlanniel, theldithen, you were my joy, my hope, my confidant, my conspirator, my restrainer, my little sister, my best friend...you were always there for me, even if you were busy or hurt, you would drop everything to help me. Why did you have to leave me? I lost naneth, I shouldn't have to lose you too!_ He sat on a sturdy tree limb and held the knife with her name on it in his hand, running his thumb over the place where it had been carved over and over and over. He leaned against the tree trunk and cried, heart wrenching sobs, as he remembered everything they had done together. _Theldithen…I didn't tell you I loved you before I left the palace did I? I thought nothing of it at that time…ai Elbereth, if you only knew how much I loved you, still love you, maybe you wouldn't have followed! No, you still would have. That's one of the things that made you such a wonderful person, you always looked out for others, you were probably coming to warn me of the new orc horde, you were going to tell me what had been happening at the palace. You were the relief force, you would have lightened my spirits, you would have laughed in the face of the Nazgul, you would have helped care for the ones bitten by the spiders, you would have been there, you would have supported me, you would have…_Legolas couldn't stop the torrent of tears that fell down his face. The trees held him, whispered soothing thoughts and parts of the old tales to him, but he did not take comfort in them. He had taught Adlanniel how to listen to the trees, and the look on her face when she had first heard them speaking to her…she had always loved birches and aspens, their silver bark enchanted her. She said that they were more playful than the other trees, although Legolas had always preferred the stately grace of oaks and maples, whose ancient wisdom never ceased to amaze him. He remembered the last time he had looked into her blue eyes. She was crying, she thought he hadn't seen but he had, he had missed her while he was gone, but it was nothing compared to this, this gaping hole where his heart had been, nothing but memories of her in his mind, the pain assailing his soul, the bit of calm she had made for him lost in the turmoil of emotion, washed away in the feelings of loss and grief and loneliness.

* * *

Thranduil suddenly felt cold, a pounding headache appearing. He shivered; his spine was tingling, his nose itched. He always felt like this when something bad was happening to one or more of his children. He looked over the desk, there was Aradan, curled up with his book on the couch. His heart sank. Something was wrong with either Legolas or Adlanniel. And if something was wrong with one, something was wrong with both.

* * *

Okay then! Fairly long chapter I suppose. Reviews are always appreciated! 

**Review Responses!  
Elf771: **It's a relief! I actually ran Adlanniel through a fairly extensive Mary Sue test, adn she scored lower than I expected--within the Unlikely-to-be-a-Sue range! She got a 9. Out of 48. Makes me happy! But anyway, I have put lots of thought into this stotry, and I'm glad to know it's appreciated! Thanks for reviewing!

**kingmaker:** Even more title clarification in this chappie! Thranduil is doing better--but this chapter isn't about him. In the next chapter we see how well he did! Less Sauron coming up--however we still get a couple fo glimpses here and there. AndI've never seen either Gallipolli or Glory, so I wouldn't know. Well, thanks for reviewing!

Until the next chapter (soon!)  
Namarie,  
Lady Altaria


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